Bushfires & your water supply

Preparing for bushfire season

Parts of the Wannon Water service region have been identified as high fire danger areas by the Country Fire Authority (CFA).

Our crews prepare for bushfire emergencies and are on standby to make urgent repairs to water mains and hydrants. However, they may not be able to safely access water supplies or respond to system failures.

Loss of electricity supply may cause our pumps, which transfer water, to fail. Extreme increased use of water by residents and the CFA during a bushfire may also cause a reduction in water pressure throughout our pipe networks.

We therefore cannot guarantee that water pressure or an uninterrupted water supply will be maintained during a bushfire.

How you can prepare

Keep a supply of drinking water in your fridge in preparation for high risk days or when bushfires are likely (three litres of water per person, per day is recommended as the minimum amount to have on hand).

We urge customers, particularly those in fire-prone areas and on rural properties, to consider alternative water supplies to fight fires as part of their fire plan.

Consider installing a water tank specifically for fire fighting purposes. Other sources that may be suitable include dams, swimming pools, rubbish bins, wheelie bins, bathtubs, laundry troughs and 44 gallon drums or similar.

Talk to a water pump specialist for suitable petrol or diesel fire-fighting pumps as well as fittings and hoses required to protect your home.

Your water supply

Water restrictions do not apply if a fire is threatening your property.

Use of water for fire fighting

The Country Fire Authority Act 1958 provides powers to fire agencies to take water from any waterway or any other source of water supply on public or private land for fire fighting purposes.

New arrangements have been released for Essential Water Replacement taken during a bushfire. These arrangements apply from the start of the 2017 - 2018 summer (fire) season.

Essential water is defined as water to sustain people, stock, and crops. Stock and domestic water will be replaced to provide for essential stock and domestic needs only. Water taken from licensed/registered dams used for irrigation will be replaced to provide for agricultural and horticultural crops or permanent plantings.

Fire agencies will now leave 'calling cards' at properties where water was taken. These calling cards provide information to landholders about the water replacement process. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) are establishing a website to help inform landholders about the replacement process

Request replacement of essential water

You can seek to have essential water replaced that has been removed from private water supplies by fire agencies provided it has been used for bushfire suppression operations. The policy and further information is available here.

Claims must be made by lodging the approved application form that can be downloaded from the DELWP website or click here

A state-wide DELWP team will receive and process all requests through a generic email address: bushfire.recovery@delwp.vic.gov.au. The team can be contacted by phone on 03 5226 4667.

All requests for essential water replacement are to go to this email account and not your local council or water authority.

DELWP and CFA officers will verify volumes being requested against fire event records taken by the fire agencies. Councils will be given verified volumes and addresses of properties requiring essential water replacement. Councils will then arrange water cartage contractors to re-supply affected properties once it is safe to do so. For additional information visit the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning website.

Planned burns

Forest Fire Management Victoria works to keep communities safe year round by reducing the risk of bushfires across the state.

Information about planned burns is available from Forest Fire Management Victoria's website

For further advice

For information and advice on preparing your family and home for the bushfire season, it is recommended you consult the CFA.